• Axiochus@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    100k to a billionaire is no more than a tip. Billionaires are a symptom of an unjust system of wealth distribution, regardless of the person. Musk also happens to be a racist numbfuck, but they’re a dime a dozen. The problem is that he’s part of a digital feudalism and wields enormous power.

    • Norah - She/They@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      9 months ago

      100k to a billionaire is no more than a tip.

      Yeah, like I already said in my comment, it’s a drop in the bucket for her. But she’s doing it over and over again. Twice this week she donated $100k. It adds up over time. Dolly Parton is worth $650 million, and she also donates significant sums of that to her book charity. They’re both trying reasonably hard to make the world suck less. Musk is actively creating more suffering. Can we not talk about them like they’re the same level of evil? What good does that bring?

      • Sprokes@lemmy.ml
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        9 months ago

        Many rich people are “donating” to avoid paying taxes and it another way for marketing. You are the proof of that, you are defending and promoting her.

        Billionaires like her are the reason we have poverty and charity associations

        • Norah - She/They@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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          9 months ago

          You are 100% correct that many billionaires do that. As cogman mentioned above, having a “charity” that you run yourself as a billionaire is absolutely a common tax scam. That’s not what she’s doing though. She’s actually spending the money.

          Also in terms of marketing, like, are you serious? Her music speaks for itself to her fans, they don’t care about any of this. My words here aren’t going to influence someone to go listen to her music or buy a concert ticket. To believe that they could is simply ludicrous.

          • ninpnin@sopuli.xyz
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            9 months ago

            It’s not a literal tax scam, it’s just free PR due to tax reasons. You donate and you pay less tax

            • Norah - She/They@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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              9 months ago

              You donate and you pay less tax

              As a US citizen, she is only allowed to claim donations to charities registered in the US. The $100k she just dropped in Melbourne, Australia wouldn’t be eligible for example. Therefore it’s not free PR, she actually paid about $100k for it.

                  • ninpnin@sopuli.xyz
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                    9 months ago

                    A lot of billionaires do donate sums like these without direct personal gain. They also have more complex tax optimization/scams going on. None of that means they are virtuous people, and neither is taylor swift. She’s just like any other billionaire.

      • AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        Have you ever read Andrew Carnegie’s book The Gospel of Wealth? Even if Taylor hasn’t, someone close to her has. Carnegie and Rockefeller needed bodyguards to feel safe in public. All billionaires should feel the same. We forgot to call them what they are. Robber Barons.

    • cogman@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      It’s, frankly, more than most billionaires and 100 millionaires do.

      Most billionaires are setting up fake charities as tax shelters so they can publicize “Elon musk gave money to the Elon musk charity for fueling billionaire private jets foundation”.

      You can pretty much pick a billionaire and find that billionaire’s charity that does dog shit.

      Except for Dolly Parton who apparently didn’t get the memo that she’s supposed to be scamming :D

      https://fortune.com/2022/12/12/elon-musk-gave-5-7-billion-to-charity-last-year-where-it-went-was-a-mystery-until-now/

      • TheDankHold@kbin.social
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        9 months ago

        More than most billionaires is a pathetically low bar to clear. Charities are less efficient than paying taxes to fund proper centralized systems but this way they get to hold on to the majority of their dragon hoard, not meaningfully address most of the cause they donate too, and launder their reputation to people like you that can’t see past the hollow optics.

        • cogman@lemmy.world
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          9 months ago

          to people like you that can’t see past the hollow optics.

          Umm, ok, Like I agree with you that charities in general tend to be a bad way to solve public problems. But I’m also pointing out that charities rich people tend to contribute to are often even worse than ineffective for addressing public needs.